The Professionals.

For many younger gamers a career as a member of the `gaming press` is very tempting. That isn’t to say the idea doesn’t remain appealing as gamers age, but perhaps the reality of what is entailed does start to dawn on those aspiring to the position. I am among those who feel it is a path I would like to travel but realise the work involved, and the disadvantages of having to play games.

I should have spent more time enjoying this.

Last Christmas, I tried to cover the majority of big releases. For two months I completed a game a week. Not being a professional game writer this proved costly, but more importantly as a gamer it also muted the experience of some of the best titles of last year. While I explored Fable 2 to the fullest, during my subsequent play through of Fallout 3 I suffered from a certain amount of fatigue. I approached the game like I was on a mission, rarely experiencing it as the designers intended. Side missions fell by the way side as I powered my way through. Gears of War 2 arrived just as Fallout 3 ended and continued in my task, frustrated by any challenges and bumps in the road, rather than relishing the challenge. I enjoyed them, but can’t help but feel I diminished the experience for myself.

These were amazing games but professional reviewers have to play every game that is placed before them, including `Pony Luv` (if they are really unlucky). It is a job. They have to take the bad with the good, and if they are diligent in their work they will have to dedicate many hours to the task. It does not seem all bad however. Forgetting the fact that most will be fulfilling a childhood fantasy and that they are in an industry they love, the gaming press seems to reap many other perks from their work. They experience games under conditions that many gamers could only dream of. They don’t have to pay for any of the games they cover.

It is real. It surprised me too. Still don

This is of course a necessity. A critic could never afford to buy all the games they review, and in many cases would not want to buy many of them (see `Pony Luv`). Unfortunately by the very nature of the fact they don’t pay for the games, even if the game remains technically the property of their company, is it not likely that reviewers lose sight of a games value?

In the interest of preview coverage the press also often get to experience games early, sometimes months before release (albeit early code). For the most part when they receive the privilege of preview time with a game it will be unfinished or they will be on deadline to experience it and write it up. Often when they these opportunities they get to play under conditions many gamers will never experience. In some extreme cases the writer may get to play the game in a developers studio being walked through the game. In lesser cases they may simply be able to experience a game’s online play on dedicated press servers. A good journalist of course would see through these trappings but at times this must be hard, when pressure is on to produce an article and the only experience you have is rose tinted.

Listening to podcast coverage gaming press’s online multiplayer session alter wildly from that of the average player also. By the nature of their job they are in contact with far more like-minded people eager to play games at sensible times. That’s a far cry from the average gamer who, when jumping into a game, is just lucky to land in a good team without being verbally abused. This in fact seems to be the hardest thing for most of the press to grasp. Reasonably enough, they do not realize that everyone does not have the same foundation of gaming friends. Why would they? As computer literate people we are able to easily meet people in forums and from there form groups with whom to play. Unfortunately this is rarely (in my experience) as successful as you would hope. Life style, outside commitments and frequently time zones all prove barriers to the ideal communal gaming experience that so many people in the industry seem have. The end result is that for the most part my own online experiences have never matched up to those described by the media.

Still necessary.

So what is my point? Is the gaming press tainted? Should we simply rely on press releases and enthusiast blogs to give us our information from this point on? Quite simply no. All of the perks they receive are in truth a necessity if we want prompt, informed coverage. Views will differ. Like anyone else they cannot be `objective` nor would we really want them to be, because it is their informed opinion and voice we want to hear. Of course any outlet can provide coverage like this, but by virtue of knowing which outlets are professional we are better able to tailor our expectations of the coverage and hold them to a higher standard.